Henriette Christin Rydell, age 78, of Mission Valley, Texas passed away on Sunday the 14th of July 2024 after a courageous 7 year battle with ovarian cancer. She was born in Jeppo, Finland on the 25th of May 1946 to Torsten and Astrid Elenius. Henriette, along with her parents and younger sister, Louise, immigrated to Canada and then the United States, eventually settling in Everett, Washington where she graduated from Cascade High School in 1965.
Henriette spent most of her professional career in the airline industry working twenty-five years in numerous roles at Eastern Airlines in Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas.
In 1991, they moved from Peachtree City, Georgia to College Station, Texas, and Henriette went to work for the Chancellor of the College of Agriculture at Texas A&M University where she founded and ran the universities in-house travel department. In 1998 Henriette and Gene moved to Victoria, Texas to be closer to their daughter, Kelly, and her family.
The couple spent their almost four decade long marriage traveling, spending time with their family, attending their grandchildren’s activities, as well as, countless Texas A&M sporting events.
She is survived by her husband, Captain Gene V. Rydell; her daughter Kelly Sadler and husband Zackry Sadler all of Mission Valley, Texas; her step-sons David Rydell of Houston, Texas, Terry Rydell of Ingram, Texas; sister Louise Spillum and husband Gene of Douglasville, Georgia; her grandchildren Scott Rydell (wife Jacquelyn), Elizabeth Rothrock (husband Brandon), Kyle Rydell, Carl Rydell, Shelby Rydell, Gracyn Austin (husband Trevor), Jacob McCarty and Tara Rydell; and Great grandchildren, Caleb Rydell, Adelyn Rydell, and River Austin.
In addition to her parents, Henriette was preceded in death by her step-son Captain Tim L. Rydell, USMC.
A visitation for Henriette will be held Friday, the 19th of July 2024 from nine o'clock until ten o'clock in the morning at Zion Lutheran Church, 12183 FM-236, with a funeral service to begin at ten o'clock in the morning with Rev. Jonathan Meyer officiating.
Henriette will be laid to rest in Mission Valley Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Trevor Austin, Mark Holubec, Jacob McCarty, Brandon Rothrock, Scott Rydell and Paul Teinert.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Henriette's memory may be made to the Rydell family’s Texas A&M Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund for “Captain Tim L. Rydell ‘77 “ using the following link Memorial Giving or by mail:
Texas A&M Memorial Giving
Captain Tim L Rydell ‘77 Memorial Scholarship
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, Texas 77840
